Risin’ up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I’m back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You change your passion for glory
Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive
It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the cream of the fight
Risin’ up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watchin’ us all in the eye of the tiger
Memphis Tigers Basketball, First Place: 49.84%
Memphis Grizzlies, Second Place: 25.55%
Mississippi RiverKings, Third Place: 6.94%
Best Write-in Vote: I like Redbirds, Tigers and Grizzlies – Too hard to choose just one
So what do you think, Memphis? Did you get it right? Should the Grizzlies have won this award? Can the Grizzlies ever win this award over the Tigers? Riverkings beat the Redbirds for third place. How do you feel about that. Will Tiger football ever make it back onto this list? Tell us what you think in the comments below. And that’s it for this years M Awards. Here is a recap of all the winners…
The 2011 M Award Winners
Favorite Concessions: FedExForum
Favorite Place To Tailgate: Tiger Lane
Favorite Sporting Venue: FedExForum
Favorite Race: The Grizzlies Playoff Race
Best Game: CUSA Championship Game
Most Memorable Moment: Rudy Gay Beats the Heat
Favorite Annual Event: Memphis Madness
Moment We Would Most Like To Forget: Murder of Lorenzen Wright
Best Offbeat Moment: Snoop Dogg courtside during his concert
Best Musical Performance: Yo Gotti at Memphis Madness
Best In-Game Entertainment: Memphis Tigers Dance Team
Best Place To Stock Up For The Big Game: Kroger
Best Local Sports Bar/Restaurant: Hueys
Best National Sports Bar Restaurant: Buffalo Wild Wings
Best Place To Eat Before/After The Game: Hueys
Best Place To Take The Team After A Victory: Memphis Pizza Cafe
Best Place To Play Cards: Horseshoe Casino
Best Golf Course: Mirimichi
Favorite Golf Store: Edwin Watts Golf
Favorite Sporting Goods Store: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Favorite Sports Apparel Store: Tiger Bookstore
Favorite Workout Facility: YMCA
Favorite Healthy Store: Whole Foods Market
Favorite Place To Spend A Nice Afternoon: The Memphis Zoo
Favorite Bike Shop: Peddler Bike Shop
Best Local Sports Radio Personality: Chris Vernon
Best Local Sports Radio Program: The Chris Vernon Show
Favorite Sports Talk Radio Segment: Harvard or Horn Lake Trivia
Favorite Local TV Sports Personality: Geoff Calkins
Favorite Local Sports Website: memphisroar.com
Favorite Local Sports Twitter: @aa000G9
Favorite Mascot: Super Grizz
Favorite Spirit Squad: Memphis Tigers Dance Team
Favorite Hair: The Grizzlies Playoff Beards
Favorite Fighter: Tony Allen
Favorite Golfer: John Daly
Favorite Baseball Player: Albert Pujols
Favorite Football Player: DeAngelo Williams
Favorite Basketball Player: Zach Randolph
Most Hated Rival: John Calipari
Favorite Athlete: Derrick Rose
Favorite Coach: Josh Pastner
Favorite Team: Memphis Tigers Basketball
Click here to listen to the 2011 M Awards Nominations Special
Look at Josh Pastner. Now look at every other coach in this category. Now look back at Josh. Now back at the others. Sadly, they are not Josh. They could be Josh if they only asked RC for the job two years ago. Look down, back up, where are you now? You’re on memphisport.net and you now know who won the Favorite Coach award. What’s in your hand? It’s a rain stick from the Congo. Back to me, now look left, and right. Look again, Josh is still the winner, but you have lost your pants. Anything is possible when you are coach of the Memphis Tigers.
OK, Memphis you have me really wondering this time around… How does Zach Randolph beat Derrick Rose in the Favorite Basketball Player (Rose finished fourth there) category but somehow in a rematch of the two, Rose takes the prize for Favorite Athlete? The first person that makes sense of this one gets a prize that few have ever received — my undying gratitude..
Is it a rival if you don’t even play games against them? I don’t know, but even though Coach Cal has not succeeded in the way he had hoped up in Kentucky, Memphis area fans are still rooting against him. With Coach Cal coming in first and the entire Kentucky team coming in third, I think it is fair assumption that a game against Kentucky would be a crowd pleaser. But I am here to tell you, it will never happen unless it happens in the tourney.
The Urban Dictionary lists a definition of the term Z-Bo as a slang word for a zombie. Wikipedia says that according to the tenets of West African Vodou, a dead person can be brought back as a zombie by a bokor. Maybe the Memphis Grizzlies are the bokor as Z-Bo has been brought back to life in a Grizzlies uniform. It is also said in vodou legend, that feeding a zombie salt will make it return to the grave. So take this as a notice Memphis: If you see Zach Randolph in a restaurant anywhere in town, do NOT under any circumstances allow him to ingest any salt. Steal the shaker from his table at once.
First place here claimed more than 45% of the vote and second place only 14%. First place played for the University of Memphis and second place played against them while at East Carolina. First place just signed a contract worth as much as $43 million and second place stands to make $800,000 this year. First place has won this award every year since its inception and second place has never come close. I can’t imagine a scenario where this year’s second place winner could take this award next year. Pre-congratulations for winning this award next year, DeAngelo!
Baseball has been played in some form as far back as 1344 in France, which makes you wonder why more French players aren’t playing. Why isn’t baseball the national past time of France? But this obviously explains why the frenchman, Albert Pujols, is such a dominant player in the league today. He is French, right? No? Well, until NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? has Pujols on to debunk my theory, I will call him a Frenchman.
Golf: the final frontier. These are the voyages of someone who was gifted in the quietest sport known to man. Its lifetime mission: to begin to unravel the mystery behind the nineteenth tee, to seek out fancy pants and to boldly play in the PGA Tour while smoking and drinking a beer.
As one of the premiere poets of our time once said, “Well, I thought I knew you. Thinking, that you were true. I guess I… I couldn’t trust, called your bluff. Time is up ’cause I’ve had enough. You were there by my side, always, down for the ride, but your joy ride just came down in flames. ‘Cause your greed sold me out of shame, mmhmm…. So thanks for making me a fighter.”
The playoff beard is an anomaly. Swimmers and bicyclists shave their entire bodies so that they can get just a bit faster and more aerodynamic than the competition. So why do the Grizzlies care so little about speed? It seems to me that if they shaved the playoff beards they would have made the playoffs just a little faster. It’s just common sense.
